Sunday, May 31, 2015

URGENT: Kenyan burn victim child looking for a temporary host family in Boston

BOSTON, Mass--Stella
Akoth is a bright 16 year old girl who lives in Chimelli, a small rural
town in Kenya.
She suffered severe burns when she was two years old from a kerosene
lamp explosion and as a result, she is disabled and is excluded from
many activities that her peers enjoy.

However,
an amazing story is unfolding..... After her concerned teacher
contacted a local non-profit organization, a network of people came
forward and now, she has an opportunity of a life time.
She will be flown into Boston to receive surgery at the Shriners
Hospital by a world-renown surgeon for child burn victims. Her medical
expenses, living expenses, and air fare will all be provided by donors
and charitable organizations.

A
host family in Boston that would take Stella and her guardian in between
Stella’s surgeries is the only missing piece at this point. We have 3
prospective host families but would like to have
a few more on our list in case things fall through for one reason or
another. (A stipend would be provided by the Children’s Burn Foundation
to cover expenses.)
Would you be able to host?

Stella
and her guardian are due to arrive in early June. First, Stella will be
seen by the surgeon to determine a plan. She will likely undergo a
series of surgeries. Please provide two beds and
use of a bathroom and kitchen for a maximum of a couple of months. If
you could provide meals, that would be helpful.

*************************************************Kutoka Madame NoireUpdate- May 15,2015-4:34 p.m.:
This
afternoon, Michael Johnson was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison
and may serve up to 60 years after being convicted on all five counts of
infecting and exposing partners to HIV. If Johnson’s sentences are
served concurrently he will serve 30 years; Buzzfeed News
reports if his charges are served consecutively, he will serve 60 and a
half years. The judge on his case, Judge Jon Cunningham will determine
his official sentencing on July 13, 2015.Update- May 15,2015- 1:55 p.m.:

Former
college wrestler, Michael Johnson who is believed to have infected over
30 people with HIV, faces life in prison. He was found guilty on
Thursday, May 14, 2015 on one count of recklessly infecting a person
with HIV, one count of attempting to recklessly infect a person with HIV
and three counts of recklessly exposing partners to HIV. Johnson’s
trial was three days long, according to Buzzfeed Newsand
his mother, Tracy Johnson was in attendance along with his former
partner, Dylan King Lemons. The two had unprotected sex during their
relationship and Lemons believes he contracted the virus from
Johnson. Lemons went to the police after he noticed Johnson had active
profiles on several gay hookup apps and testified against him in court.

Missouri state law demands people who are diagnosed with
HIV to disclose their status to their partners, regardless if they use
protection or take medication. Johnson was diagnosed by the Missouri
Department of Health with HIV on January 7, 2013. The day after Johnson
received his status, he began having unprotected sex with various
partners on and in the surrounding area of his college campus. Only six
of Johnson’s multiple partners came forward to charge him with knowingly
infecting them with HIV and other STDs.

A hotel restaurant in Anambra, Nigeria has been shuttered by authorities for serving human flesh. According to the BBC,
suspicious residents told police of rumors that the restaurant was
cooking human meat for customers. Police then raided the restaurant,
where they discovered fresh human heads that were still bleeding. The
blood was in the process of being drained into a plastic bag.

In addition to the illegal meat, authorities discovered automatic
weapons, grenades, and cell phones. Ten people were arrested in
conjunction with the crimes. One resident said, "Every time I went to
the market, I observed strange activities going on in the hotel. People
who were never cleanly dressed and who looked a bit strange made their
way in and out of the hotel, making me very suspicious of their
activities. I am not surprised at the shocking revelation."
A priest who ate at the restaurant was alarmed when presented with a bill of 700 Naira, or roughly $3.50 (Tens of millions of people in Nigeria subsist on less than $1 a day).
"The attendant noticed my reaction and told me it was the small piece
of meat I had eaten that made the bill scale that high," he said. "I did
not know I had been served with human meat, and that it was that
expensive."
Last year, Australian chef Marcus Volke
murdered and cooked his girlfriend before killing himself. In Brazil,
also last year, a man and two women were arrested for murdering
potential nanny candidates and then cooking their flesh into empanadas.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Henry Johnson suffered 21 wounds and rescued a fellow soldier while repelling an enemy raid in the Argonne Forest in 1918 but died 11 years later a forgotten man.
On June 2, 2015, President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor
to Army Private Henry Johnson for conspicuous gallantry during World War
I.

Private Henry Johnson
will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions while
serving as a member of Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd
Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Then-Private Johnson
distinguished himself during combat operations in the vicinity of the
Tourbe and Aisne Rivers, northwest of Saint Menehoul, France, on May 15,
1918.

Private Johnson entered the Army on June 5, 1917. He was
assigned to Company C, 15th New York (Colored) Infantry Regiment, an
all-black National Guard unit that would later become the 369th Infantry
Regiment. The Regiment was ordered into battle in 1918, and Private
Johnson and his unit were brigaded with a French Army colonial unit in
front-line combat.

While on night sentry duty on May 15, 1918,
Private Johnson and a fellow Soldier received a surprise attack by a
German raiding party consisting of at least 12 soldiers. While under
intense enemy fire and despite receiving significant wounds, Johnson
mounted a brave retaliation resulting in several enemy casualties.

When his fellow soldier was badly wounded, Private Johnson prevented
him from being taken prisoner by German forces. Private Johnson exposed
himself to grave danger by advancing from his position to engage an
enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Displaying great courage, Private
Johnson held back the enemy force until they retreated. He died at the
age of 32 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, his only
recognition the French Croix de Guerre.

At last, in 1996, the
U.S. awarded Johnson a Purple Heart and followed up in 2002 with the
nation’s second-highest commendation, the Distinguished Service Cross.
At the time, the military denied Johnson the Medal of Honor, finding
insufficient documentation of his heroism.

Subsequently, Sen.
Chuck Schumer’s volunteer historians have amassed overwhelming proof
that this quintessential Hellfighter from Harlem performed with
incomprehensible valor in service of a nation that spurned him at every
turn because of skin color. Command Sergeant Major Louis Wilson, New
York National Guard, will join the President at the White House to
accept the Medal of Honor on Private Johnson’s behalf.
(Story via Edie A.)
Read more here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/…/remembering-henry-johnson…/…

We
would like to inform you about someone who is trying to take advantage of the
young people who work in our industry. The person perpetuating the scam
described below has been targeting job sites such as Indeed, SimplyHired,
Craigslist, as well as the most popular production job sites that you know and
use.

Just to cut to the chase: please don’t send ANY money
to an employer who tells you that part of getting ready for the job involves
your sending or wiring money to them!

We
figured the best way to expose this fraud is by telling you about it. We’ve
included 2 of the letters below that the scammers send out, so that you can know
what to look out for, but here is a summary of how the scam goes:

1)
They usually claim to be working for a legitimate company whose name you will
probably recognize, so that you think that you’re getting a real job at a real
company.IMPORTANT:The name of the company they use, the
description of the gig, the person signing the email, and the phone number will
sometimes be different… but the gist of the scam is always the same:

2)
You get offered a good-paying job in a remote city that you’ll have to fly
to.

3)
They send you a check for your travel expenses (usually $2,400), and tell you
that you will need to arrange your own travel through a travel agent;

4)
You are then instructed to wire the travel agent the travel expenses for the
flight (usually $2,000).

5)
A few days later the original check for $2,400 that they sent you bounces, and
you are stuck eating the $2,000 you sent the travel agent… and by now, you can
probably guess who the “travel agent” actually is. You’ve been scammed.

We
hate that these people are taking advantage of the industry we work in, and
especially young people breaking into the biz who may not yet know better.
Please know that we are working every day to do everything in our power to
ensure that our site is a safe and trusted source for the production community.
We encourage anyone that has been taken advantage of to report it immediately to
the authorities.

Best
Regards,Team Staff Me Up

This is the kind of email you will see from the
scammer first.

Hello,

This is James Rodriguez the Event Coordinator with
XXXXX Productions and I am responding to your email application that we
received. This email is to formally invite you to the COCA COLA TV
Commercial/Magazine production, which we’ll be seeking your services as a
production assistant. The show will kick off from 04-23-2015 to 10-25-2015 in
XXXXX Productions Studio: Orlando, FL 32819 but you will be needed here in
San Francisco from 02-20-2015 to 02-22-2015, to assist the production team in
producing a 5 minutes taped commercial. The title of the commercial is
“LEGENDS”. All traveling and booking expenses will be covered by the
company.

Task: Your job duties are to assist the production
team with the necessary supplies; typing, editing, copying and distributing
scripts; assist in organizing accommodation for cast and crew; typing and
distributing schedules, or call sheets, assisting cast members, and at times
running errands for them; running errands between the production office and
other departments; closing accounts with suppliers and dealing with surplus
stock when the production is finished.

The pay for this job is $600 per day. This is a
freelance job and you are only needed for 3 days, however your effectiveness
during this period will determine if you will be employed for another
production.

Company profile: XXXXX Productions is an
independent video production company. We produce great video that delivers your
best clients – while saving you money. Established in 2000, we bring to the
table years of experience in the video production industry. Our fresh, creative
team of moving image artists has produced over 15,000 TV commercials,
infomercials, original programs and website videos. This wealth of experience
gives our clients an advantage in making decisions based on our creativity and
knowledge of production.

Here at XXXXX Productions our goal is for you to
come back to us with great feedback about the success of your television
campaign. Nothing makes us happier than knowing that we have helped your
business to grow.

Instruction: Please respond with your contact
information where a check will be mailed out to, it is for your traveling and
lodging expenses (more information will be provided as we progress). You will
also be provided an itinerary by the designated travel agent
arrangement.

This e-mail outlines the entire process before the
production and also how to proceed.

Please note that during the production you will have
to put your skills and art of imagery to perfect professionalism in order to
assist the production team to produce a perfect show.

*You will also receive a check for $2450 in the
following days via FedEx and this check will cover your personal expenses, and
travel/lodging expenses which will be handled via a designated travel agent. The
amount of $500 out of the check is allocated as down payment to show our keen
interest in your services while the remaining balance will be transferred to the
travel agent who will make all the necessary hotel and travel arrangement on
your behalf to Los Angeles, CA (more information on the travel agent will be
provided to you ASAP).

During the course of the coming days we will provide
all necessary information momentarily but for now we only seek that you reassure
us of your availability during the weekend of 01-23-2015 to 01-25-2015 and also
your utmost commitment regarding this project.

NB: It is important you respond to this e-mail
confirming your commitment before we send the check and make other arrangement.
More details that you will need to know will be told to you during the seminar
before the production. Please respond to this email with your full name, contact
address and phone number where the check will be mailed to.

About Me

I worked for Tanzania's Daily News for 11 years leaving as a Senior Reporter. I love acting, films, short story writing and cooking. I blog in English and Swahili. I am a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and AFTRA.
You can contact me at chemiche3@yahoo.com.